Old Colony students keep busy on Acushnet projects

ACUSHNET — The town of Acushnet is keeping students at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School busy, and those students are reaping the rewards of working in some real life situations.

Nicholas Walecka

ACUSHNET — The town of Acushnet is keeping students at Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School busy, and those students are reaping the rewards of working in some real life situations.

Starting in late September, two groups of students (one comprising juniors, and one of seniors) from Old Colony have been working on two new dugouts at the Joe Jason Sr. Championship Field at Pope Park.

Led by instructor Stu Norton, carpentry students have begun to construct the two 7x32-foot structures from the ground up, with electrical students expected to do some wiring and lighting work in the near future.

Not only will the dugouts offer baseball players shelter from the outside environment, but they will also be equipped with bat racks and cubby holes for storage of helmets and other equipment.

"It's a win-win for the students as well as for the town," said Mr. Norton, who's led several groups of students on similar projects in the towns surrounding Old Colony. These include the recent construction of a snack shack at Rochester's Gifford Field, among others.

Ryan Testa, 17, a senior, echoed Mr. Norton's sentiments, saying he enjoys working out in the field as opposed to always being stuck inside of school.

"I think it's fun," he said, as he drilled small, precut sections of 4x4's together to be added to the already standing structures. "It's a nice project—nothing too major—but we get work experience and the town gets two new dugouts."

Testa said outside projects make the students better carpenters, too, because they get to experience different things they might not come across in the classroom setting.

"I've done some different things than I've done in the past (on this project)," he said. "It's helping me become more of a well-rounded carpenter."

Mr. Norton said that so far, students have succeeded with the project, and that the fieldwork helps students build on some of the skills they've already acquired inside the classroom.

"It's been great," he said. "The juniors have never been on an outside project, and they responded very well. We've got (most of) the classroom stuff covered—now they're coming out and actually doing it. It makes it all make sense when you actually have your hands on it. They can see what we're (teachers) talking about."

Brianna Shiner, 17, of Acushnet, said that as a resident, she particularly has enjoyed working on the project because she knows she'll be able to witness it being used first-hand when she visits Pope Park in the future.

"I like it," said Ms. Shiner. "It's cool because when I'm older, I can come back and say 'I did that.' I like doing stuff like that. It's rewarding."

Mr. Norton said that projects like this can only be done on public property, and that they've already discussed several other potential future projects in town, including work on a new Carriage House at Long Plain Friends Meetinghouse, as well as work on a visitor's center at the Acushnet Sawmill property on Mill Road and on a storage shed at Acushnet River Valley Golf Course.

Town Administrator Alan Coutinho said projects like this really help the town out, where they can use money they save on several projects done by Old Colony for other pressing needs within the town.

"It's a big savings financially," he said. "They do a lot for the town."

As for the Pope Park project, Mr. Norton said that things are going according to plan, and they hope to finish within the next few weeks. He also added that they're looking for some indoor finish work to get them through the winter months, and that overall, he's proud of the work that the students have done at Pope Park.